Butte, Montana is known as the "Richest Hill on Earth," and this weekend its cultural riches were on display at the Montana Folk Festival. Miss the fun? Listen to the archives of MTPR's live broadcast from the original stage [Friday, Saturday] and see videos and pics from this weekend.

The Montana Folk Festival is coming up July 13 - 15 in Butte, and you can listen live on Montana Public Radio!

Don't miss the excitement of one of the largest free outdoor music festivals in the Northwest. Tune in live on MTPR Friday and Saturday for music from the Original Stage, including Wylie & The Wild West, Annika Chambers, Treme Brass band, the Fairfield Four, and more!

We heard music from all over the country and the world during the 2017 Montana Folk Festival. Consider this the highlight reel from MTPR's live broadcasts from the festival.

In the first hour, you'll hear Cajun and Acadian music from Bruce Daigrepont of Metarie, LA; the North Carolina-based gospel brass shout band, Cedric Mangum and Company; and the Ethiopian jazz of Washington, D.C.'s Feedel Band. In the second half of the program, we'll feature reggae from Seattle-based Clinton Fearon and the Boogie Brown Band; Chicago blues from Toronzo Cannon; and the Texas-style triple-fiddles and harmonies of The Quebe Sisters.

Montana Public Radio will broadcast live from the 2018 Montana Folk Festival in Butte, MT, July 13-15. Festival Director George Everett stopped by to give a preview of the upcoming music festival.

Despite the name "Folk Festival," the music isn't "a songwriter with a guitar," Everett says. "What that means is music of the people. Traditional music that goes back generations. Bluegrass, blues, cajun, zydeco; the genres stay the same, but we try to have the performers be different to represent those genres every year."